Bible Study: Ephesians 6:10-17

Ephesians 6:10–17 (NASB95)

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The strength

The armor/ weaponry

The enemy

The battle

Compare and contrast with the warfare of the Old Testament.

Consistency with strength being in the Lord!

Our warfare and our enemy is spiritual in nature.

Where else in Scripture do we see this transition from a physical warfare to a spiritual warfare?

Jesus in the garden w/ Peter

Matthew 26:51-54

“My kingdom is not of this world”

John 18:36 NASB95

36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

Because we are now in a spiritual battle we require different weaponry.

What is the posture of the spiritual soldier?

Resistance, standing firm, stand firm.

The posture of the spiritual soldier against the devil is largely resistance and defense. With respect to the devil, Christ is the conqueror.

The armor/ weaponry

Objective and subjective use and disuse

We experience all of these things in an objective sense through the gospel.

They are objectively true all the time.

belt: We live according to the truth

breastplate: In Christ we are declared righteous.

shoes: In the gospel we have peace w/ God.

shield: We are a people of faith.

helmet: We are saved.

sword: The Word of God is living and active...

What does it look like to wield or take up these objective realities and use them?

belt: truth - confronting lies, reckoning w/ reality.

breastplate: righteousness - walking in obedience

shoes: peace - believing that the gospel is true and God is for us.

Shield: faith - we confess the truths of God we know to be true.

helmet: salvation - assurance

sword: The Word of God - We use the truth of God to counter the temptation of the devil.

What condition are we in without each of these pieces? What is the risk should we fail to take up...

belt

breastplate

shoes

shield

helmet

sword

The dependency and togetherness of the battle.

Greater Ephesian context.

1-3 Your position before God. Pray and depend on Him in faith

4-5 Your unity with each other. Pray for them.

Spiritual warfare is a corporate reality.

The roman soldier which Paul is likely using as an example is never found alone. His armor is designed to be used with other soldiers. The Christian effectively engaging in spiritual warfare is never found alone. He is dependent upon God and his fellow Christian’s faith. Therein the church holds its ground, stands firm, and resists the devil.

How do we take up the armor for the good of our brother and sister benefit from each of these?

All of these require proximity.